Details
Sands Films Studio
82, St Marychurch Street
Rotherhithe
London
SE16 4HZ
England
Programme
Traditional Chinese – Both traditional folk music and modern compositions and improvisations
Performers
Cheng Yu – pipa
Mengmeng Wu – guzheng
Silk String Duo
Programme Note
Internationally renowned pipa virtuoso Cheng Yu with award-winning guzheng player Wu Mengmeng will showcase a selection of traditional, regional music from China as well as modern compositions and improvisations. The pipa (4-stringed lute) and guzheng (21-stringed zither) are two of the most celebrated Chinese stringed instruments. Both have over two thousand years of history with distinctive sounds and a rich musical repertoire.
Born in Beijing, Cheng Yu won the “excellent pipa performer” award at the age of 15 at the 3rd National Instruments Competition in Shanghai. After graduating with distinction from the Xi’an Conservatory of music, she was selected as a pipa soloist in the Central Orchestra of Chinese Music, China. She has studied at SOAS and is founder of the UK Chinese Music Ensemble (1998) and the award-winning Silk String Quartet(2007).
Wu Mengmeng is a young, award-winning guzheng virtuoso. Born in southeast China, she learnt the guzheng from the age of six and her talent was noticed during her first stage performance at the age of ten. She has since been selected to give performances worldwide in may countries including Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore and America. She won the Gold Prize for Guzheng Solo in the 4th ZhongSin International Music Competition in 2012 and a Gold Award for guzheng solo in the 1st Huain Cup International Chinese Music Competition in 2012.
Cheng Yu's website is here.
The venue is a deliciously sumptuous sofa-filled home-crafted cinema like none other, housed in a beautiful building oozing the history both of the neighbourhood and of costume creation. Even the loos are like none other in London!! Uniquely again, a ticket entitles you to free tea/coffee. Stronger stuff is available at the riverside Mayflower Pub, only a few cobble stones away. Sands Films is an inspiringly intimate place to hear fabulous music.
Sands Films is just a two minute walk away from Rotherhithe Overground Station, one stop from Canada Water.
